Hengxiang Japan had a manufacturing site in Hong Kong and when Hengxiang expanded into the Asian market, it had launched the strategy of ‘Made in Hong Kong, Sold in Hong Kong, Repaired in Hong Kong’.
The Japanese headquarters invested heavily, and this Hong Kong enterprise flourished, expanding from less than ten business salespeople in massage chairs to over thirty in three years.
Each was responsible for the massage chair sales in their respective regions, with high KPIs. Hong Kong was experiencing an economic boom, and despite the high prices, the sales were surprisingly good.
Cooperating with the mainland and selling massage chairs there had only started last year, indeed attracting many mainland secondary distributors to come here for purchasing and business discussions.
Standing outside the door, Sanfu gave a thorough introduction of the business in one breath.
Gary turned around in astonishment, “Wow, Brother Sanfu, are you Hengxiang’s undercover agent in the Major Crime unit? How come you know more about this company than about the police station?”
“…” Sanfu pursed his lips, the corners of his mouth turning downwards, not really wanting to answer.
After Fang Zhenyue and Sanfu entered first, Lin Wangjiu turned back and whispered to Gary and Jiayi:
“His ex-wife is a salesperson here, it was quite a love affair.”
“Wow, Brother Sanfu is actually not an old bachelor; he has been married before…” Gary looked very surprised.
Jiayi quickly nudged him, “Shh, keep your voice down.”
The two hurriedly caught up with the team and were invited into the reception room to wait with Sir Fang.
After sitting for a while, Fang Zhenyue stood up, holding a photo of Zhou Jianguo, walked out of the conference room towards the offices separated by cubicles, and turned his head to ask Sanfu, “Where is the sales department?”
“I’ll lead the way.” Sanfu sighed resignedly and confidently walked towards the staircase.
Without needing the receptionist to guide them, he led everyone up to the second floor, directly to a large office area on the left.
Turning into the narrow walkway, Sanfu pointed to an area ahead, “Those seated here should all be salespeople.”
Fang Zhenyue nodded, walked straight over, announced his name, showed his ID, and then questioned each person sitting in the cubicles one by one about whether they recognized Zhou Jianguo in the photo, observing each salesperson’s expression closely as they answered.
Sanfu glanced at Sir Fang and then turned towards the sales department manager’s office.
Lin Wangjiu found an empty seat to sit down, quietly sighed in relief, and leaned comfortably against the back of the chair. As expected from a company that makes massage chairs, every chair is a delight to sit on.
Gary and Jiayi, the two youngsters, followed behind Sir Fang, emulating his methods while making their own observations.
Fang Zhenyue observed the people’s expressions, while they observed the people’s desks and the expressions of those around them.
When they asked the sixth person, she chuckled lightly upon seeing the photo, “This is Zhou Jianguo, huh~”
“What about it? Are you the salesperson handling his account?” Fang Zhenyue immediately turned serious.
“Are you guys from the Major Crime Unit?” the woman retorted, scanning over Fang Zhenyue and the others behind him with her eyes.
“Team B, any problems?” Gary frowned slightly; this woman was quite rude.
“Didn’t Tan Sanfu come?” the woman scoffed.
It dawned on Fang Zhenyue and the others in an instant; this woman was likely Sanfu’s ex-wife.
Jiayi glanced at the nameplate on her desk: Ding Wanzhi.
Looking at her desk, next to the bulky computer were piles of folders and a small picture frame nestled among the clutter—a wedding photo, and the man in it was certainly not Brother Sanfu.
Without waiting for the detectives to reply, Ding Wanzhi stood up and called to a man in a cubicle a few steps away:
“Yongtao, Sir is looking for you.”
After shouting, she turned to Fang Zhenyue and said, “Sir Fang, right? Wang Yongtao is the salesperson who deals with Zhou Jianguo. If you have any issues, you should look for him.”
“Thank you.” Fang Zhenyue nodded and then walked towards Wang Yongtao.
Sitting in the swivel chair, Wang Yongtao turned his head and saw a tall and imposing man approaching him, bearing down from a position of authority, his presence overwhelming.
His arm hairs inexplicably stood on end, and as he stood up, he faced Fang Zhenyue’s displayed credentials, hastily asking with a smile:
“Ah sir, what’s the matter? I’m a first-class citizen.”
“Do you recognize this man?” Fang Zhenyue held up a photo of Zhou Jianguo.
“Ah, I know him, he’s a client of our company in Shenzhen. What’s up, ah sir? Has he committed a crime? It has nothing to do with me though.” Wang Yongtao, frightened, quickly waved his hands.
Fang Zhenyue didn’t respond but simply nodded at Gary and the others.
He then took Wang Yongtao to a nearby conference room for questioning and to take a statement.
Wang Yongtao didn’t yet know what he was accused of. Despite sitting in his familiar office, he felt perpetually uneasy.
Gary sat opposite Wang Yongtao, pulling out a photo of a watch worn by the deceased:
“Tell me, did Zhou Jianguo own a watch like this one?”
Wang Yongtao, somewhat nervous, glanced at Gary and then at Fang Zhenyue.
After meeting Sir Fang’s indifferent gaze, he swallowed dryly, pinched the photo handed to him by Gary, and scrutinized it while recalling.
“Look carefully, don’t talk nonsense, alright? Obstructing police work and providing false testimony is illegal.” Gary, fearing he might not remember and make something up, quickly cautioned.
Wang Yongtao nodded, wiped his sweat, and suddenly remembered the last time he saw Zhou Jianguo, when he seemed to flash a watch as he rolled up his shirt sleeves.
“Yes, it was the same color as his shirt, it seems like this is the watch!”
Gary and Fang Zhenyue exchanged glances, both feeling anxious but still managing to mask their emotions, maintaining stern expressions.
“Then do you remember the last time you saw Zhou Jianguo, what clothes, pants, and shoes he was wearing?” Gary continued to inquire.
“It seemed… like a black shirt, the thicker kind meant for spring or autumn wear. I remember he was sweating a lot, even unbuttoned it… The buttons seemed metallic, very easy to undo, they could just be flipped open, I even thought then, such buttons must be slippery, just stretching an arm could pop them open, women certainly can’t wear such shirts…” Wang Yongtao rambled on, then suddenly became aware and hastily steered back to the topic:
“It seemed to be paired with a grey leather belt. The female colleagues in the office always say Zhou Jianguo dresses well, just because he’s handsome. But the belt really did match well. We salespeople have to pay attention to our appearance, ah sir, I did observe this carefully, I shouldn’t be mistaken.”
Wang Yongtao mentioned this, then looked a bit self-satisfied again.
Fang Zhenyue and Gary exchanged glances once more. In the nylon bag used for the body, they had not found a belt.
If the murderer took it, why would they take his belt?
“The pants seem to be black as well. Mainlanders tend to dress very modestly; they like wearing black, gray, or a mix of black, white, and gray—it’s very subdued. I used to see mainland guys wearing red often, but those who come for business these days don’t dress like that anymore,” Wang Yongtao said, then tilted his head in reminiscence:
“The shoes seemed to be gray… could also be black, I really don’t remember that well. But the toes were very round, I remember that; the shoes looked very neat, which didn’t match his attire.”
As he spoke, Wang Yongtao shook his head.
The clothes, pants, and shoes all matched up, and at this point, Fang Zhenyue and the others were almost certain that Zhou Jianguo was the deceased.
There were as many as nine potential victims to check, each one possibly taking half a day’s work for them.
Fang Zhenyue had mentally prepared himself, thinking that just identifying the victim within a week would be lucky.
But what happened?
The first person they checked turned out to be the victim!
What luck!
This saved them so much time and energy. The pace of the investigation and the chances of solving the case increased significantly!
In their line of work, sometimes time is opportunity—the opportunity to catch the murderer!
Fang Zhenyue quietly breathed a sigh of relief, rolling up the information of the other eight people in his hand and slipping it into his pocket, his mood that had been heavy for days finally lightening.
Jiayi, who put Zhou Jianguo’s file on top of the stack, stood beside it, watching solemnly.
Deeply concealed abilities and achievements.
Next, Gary asked Wang Yongtao about the last time he saw Zhou Jianguo.
It was confirmed to be the 6th of last month, the night he and Zhou Jianguo went drinking after finalizing a deal and signing the contract.
This also matched the timeline.
Walking to the window, Fang Zhenyue whispered to Yi Jiayi in a voice only the two of them could hear:
“Wang Yongtao is telling the truth.”
“How do you know, Brother Yue?”
Jiayi immediately raised her eyebrows, absolutely certain that Zhou Jianguo was the deceased, having seen it herself. However, she had only witnessed the murder scene and didn’t know much about Zhou Jianguo’s situation.
Wang Yongtao’s description of Zhou Jianguo’s attire was indeed accurate, but as for the truthfulness of his other statements, she could not judge.
Why would Officer Fang know?
“When someone tells the truth, because life is three-dimensional and rich, it’s easy to lose focus and be led astray by details, resulting in a rambling narrative with an excess of irrelevant information. But when it comes to lies, they tend to be particularly logical and clear-cut, as they are the result of careful deliberation and wording,” Fang Zhenyue explained softly, his demeanor nonchalant as if this were all common knowledge.
Jiayi looked enlightened and deeply admiring, thinking, “That makes sense!”
“Got it,” she said, nodding vigorously, her expression and gaze conveying her utter conviction.
She immediately took out her notebook, clicked her ballpoint pen, and began to write furiously.
So happy, satisfied, and learned!
“…” Fang Zhenyue had not expected the young policewoman to react this way.
Ordinary people, even if they are convinced by others, often hide their true thoughts and emotions out of fear of being looked down upon, thus masking their feelings, pretending to be indifferent or calm.
But this young lady, why is she so unburdened about showing her true emotions?
And… she’s so straightforward, isn’t she?
And… her reaction was embarrassingly unexpected for him.
Touching his nose, he instinctively subdued his emotions of pride and satisfaction, forcibly keeping his tail from fanning out.
Ever since the case of the white bones began, his previously furrowed brows had uncontrollably relaxed, one reaching the ends of the earth, the other the corners of the sea, each stretching out in its own joy.
And those eyes, always somber and cold, began to warm up unconsciously.
When Fang Zhenyue turned back, Wang Yongtao had finished answering the questions and looked up at Officer Fang again, not feeling afraid at all!